Category Archives: Book Lists

New Books, New Partnership: Discover the Latest in Nursing at Durham Tech Library

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New books on nursing at Durham Tech Library
Durham Tech Nursing students should seek out our Nursing Subject Research Guide for additional resources

The library is happy to share WRAL’s new story regarding Durham Tech’s new Academic Practice Partnership with Duke Health, which aims to “streamline the education and employment journey for students [who are earning a degree to become a registered nurse].”

Leading nursing students to quality information and scholarly resources is one of our vital responsibilities as librarians and we are frequently adding new resources to keep up with the challenging pace of healthcare developments following the COVID-19 pandemic.

While nursing students might primarily know the library for our access to Board Vitals, CINAHL Plus, and science databases such as ScienceDirect, the library is frequently adding high-quality books on the career and specific medical practices learned by our hard-working students in nursing programs. Prepare for a career in the field or sharpen your knowledge of current practices and nursing topics with these new nursing titles.

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HOW TO Do a Little Bit of Everything

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Quick note:

The Durham Tech Main Campus Library will close from 9:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on Thursday, June 8 for a College-wide staff training. Printing and chat will be unavailable during this time (since your Durham Tech librarians staff chat during the day.)

We will be open from 8:00-8:50 a.m. and then again from 12:30 -5:30 p.m. after the training has finished.

It’s summer term and summer time (kind of?), and whether you’re taking classes, teaching, working, or just taking a little break, the extended daylight hours have always seemed like a good time to try something new.

how to books for adventure, self-improvement, and beyond!

With that in mind, the Library has a variety of how-tos to activate your curiosity and build your skills, whether mending, reading ancient languages, building up your personal boundaries and emotional intelligence, getting a better night’s sleep, becoming an expert in microwave cookery, embarking on small gardening, and many more!

Keep reading to check out what we have available in print and digitally through Dogwood Digital Library (add us on your Libby app!).

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Focusing on Mental Wellness for Mental Health Awareness Month and Beyond

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Today is the last official day of Mental Health Awareness Month.

Since taking care of your mental health is a year-long, lifelong process, just focusing on it for one month is obviously not enough, but as with all health awareness days or months, in order to be effective, the focus should not just be on short-term knowledge, but on long-term interventions for change.

Awkward Yeti comic with two characters, Heart and Brain (anthropomorphized organs). Brain is staring at a smartphone with an energy bar above his head reading "Mental Health" slowly draining over three panels from yellow to orange to red, denoting a low "battery". In the final panel, Heart takes Brain outside for a walk, leaving the phone behind, and the Mental Health energy bar is increasing in charge and turning green.

While most folks find value in treating themselves to short-term relaxing activities*, when that no longer becomes effective or if problems persist, sometimes what we’re really seeking is a mindset shift. While we can do research to empower ourselves, it’s also okay to ask for help.

*And you should if it helps you! Don’t devalue short-term joys!

If you need to talk to someone, Durham Tech has resources for students and employees. The Employee Assistance Program (ENI) provides up to 8 free visits for a variety of interventions, including mental health. Students can contact Durham Tech’s Counseling Services, including the 24-hour Be Well hotline (833-434-1217). For emergency mental health needs for everyone, including suicidal thoughts, Hope4NC is available by calling or texting (same number, but text “hope”), and the national mental health crisis line can be reached by calling 988 (though you may also want to be informed about other options, available at the very end of the linked article: NPR’s Life Kit– “Social media posts warn people not to call 988. Here’s what you need to know”).

If you have a healthcare professional you trust, you can and should also talk to them. There is no shame in asking for help. Brains are tricky things, and we’re all still recovering in our own ways from the tumult of the last few years.

If you’re also ready to do some of your own mindset shifting and reframe or restructure some popular notions of health and wellness culture, keep reading. The Durham Tech Library has some books for you.

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What You Could Be Watching, Listening to, and Reading for AAPI Heritage Month

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Reminder: Durham Tech will be closed Monday, May 29 for Memorial Day. Have a nice long weekend and remember to incorporate some *real* self-care into your daily practices.

NPR Podcast- California Love: Season 2, KPOP Dreaming

The previous link is to an article and an episode of NPR’s Code Switch that talks about self-care with psychiatrist Pooja Lakshmin, who just published a new book . Also in honor of AAPI Heritage Month and related via the NPR podcast/audio breadcrumb trail, check out the KPOP Dreaming podcast, about growing up Korean-American during the 90s, music, family history, and identity. Oh, and loving KPOP.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Established in 1977 to elevate, highlight, and celebrate Asians and Pacific Islanders in the United States, May was chosen to commemorate the first documented Japanese immigrant from 1843 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in May 1869, which used many Chinese laborers. A rather broad term, Asian/Pacific encompasses all of the Asian continent and the Pacific islands of Melanesia (New Guinea, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Fiji and the Solomon Islands), Micronesia (Marianas, Guam, Wake Island, Palau, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Nauru and the Federated States of Micronesia) and Polynesia (New Zealand, Hawaiian Islands, Rotuma, Midway Islands, Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Cook Islands, French Polynesia and Easter Island).

pbs asian americans documentary series (2020)

PBS has an excellent video playlist of their various documentaries for AAPI Heritage Month available for free. Films on Demand has the entire Asian Americans (2020) series in their AAPI playlist (off-campus, log in using your Durham Tech username and password).

Interested in reading some excellent books in all sorts of genres by Asian American and Pacific Islander Americans?

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Dogwood Digital Collection, May 2023

Keep reading to see some of our selection available or check out our physical displays of memoirs, fiction, nonfiction, graphic novels, and cookbooks at the Orange County Campus, downstairs at the Main Campus, or ebooks and audiobooks online through Dogwood Digital Library (add us to your Libby app and sign in using your Durham Tech username and password).

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MAYbe You Should Check Out the New Books at the Orange County Campus Library

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New books at OCC just in time for summer session!

OCC New Books Shelf, May 2023

Our Library summer hours start Monday, May 15 (though Librarian hours start at OCC the week of May 15).

The Main Campus Library will be open Monday and Tuesday 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Wednesday and Thursday 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. The Orange County Campus Library will be open for general use Monday through Thursday from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM; the Librarian will be available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Library services will be virtual on Fridays– utilize our Library Chat and virtual library services on our website! The Northern Durham Center Library will be moving over the summer; for librarian services, email the Library (library at durhamtech .edu).

Check our website for the most up-to-date information.

Keep reading for specific titles new on the Orange County shelves and click on the link in the caption to check availability or put a book on hold.

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National Library Week: Right to Read Day

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National Library Week is April 23-29, 2023, a time celebrate our nation’s libraries, library workers’ contributions, and promote library use and support. This year’s theme is There’s More to the Story.

Today is Right to Read Day, a call to action to fight back against censorship to defend, protect, and celebrate your right to read freely.

Right to Read Day: Protect Your Right to Read, April 24, 2023

The American Library Association has also released its most challenged books of 2022 as part of its State of American Libraries 2022 report [link to webpage containing pdf]. ALA documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022, the highest number of attempted book bans since ALA began compiling data about censorship in libraries more than 20 years ago and nearly doubling the 729 book challenges reported in 2021. While other instances of book challenges or removals may have occurred, these are the ones reported to the ALA.

In 2022, 2,571 unique titles were targeted for censorship.

Removing a book from a collection due to inaccuracies, age, or condition (something libraries often do in order to provide the best resources to their users) is different than banning or requesting to ban a book– most books that are challenged because they represent marginalized communities, have “profane” or “offensive” language or content, or disagree with someone’s political, religious, or social viewpoint. In 2022, books containing LGBTQIA+ content were the top challenged materials. Self-selection and choosing to not read a book because you disagree with it is different than requesting to remove it from a collection so no one can read it.

Keep reading for ways that you can advocate for libraries, including how to read some of 2022’s most challenged books and decide for yourself.

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Durham Tech’s Favorites for Black History Month

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It’s nearing the end of Black History Month, so while our blog post topics may broaden, we’d like to leave you with some books by Black Americans that have made an impact on the Durham Tech community to read beyond just February because Black history is American history all year long.

Keep reading for Durham Tech’s favorite reads by Black American authors–fiction, nonfiction, poetry, art, environmental justice, social justice, criminal justice, economics, fantasy, and finance–, and for a documentary exploring if Black History Month accomplishes what it sets out to do.

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